Holy Spirit – Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: Holy Spirit

Romans 8:16 – The Holy Witness

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Will

Romans 8:16 – The Holy Witness

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Truth to Learn

The Holy Spirit is the true witness of our salvation.

Behind the Words

The words “bears witness” is from summartureō, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” or “with” and martureō, which means “to testify” or “to give witness.” Hence summartureō means “to testify jointly” or “to give witness together.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we were told that we who are saved have the Spirit of adoption and because of this adoption we can call God our Father our “Daddy.” In the secular world today it is often said that we are all brothers and sisters or we are all God’s children. According to the Bible this is not true. Also, there are many supposed Christians who claim that God is their father when He is not. This was also true in Jesus’ day. As He taught in the temple, this is what He had to say to those who claimed to be believing Jews:

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. (John 8:42-44a)

So, if there were so many deceived ones then, and many today who think that God is their Father, how can we tell for sure that we are saved and God is our Father? The current verse tells us how. We know that we are saved, that we have been adopted by God the Father, because He has given the Holy Spirit exclusively to His children. The Spirit is not only our seal and the guarantee of our inheritance; He is also the only true witness of our salvation and adoption by God. That’s what the current verse says.

So exactly how does the Holy Spirit “bear witness with our spirit?” The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit in those still, quiet moments, when we sense the peace that only He can give. A peace that passes all understanding, a peace that exists in the midst of trials and tribulation. It is that calm assurance that we have submitted to the Father and we have committed to do His will above our own. We have accepted His grace in the form of the blood of Christ because we believe that Jesus died to pay for our sins, and He rose again from the grave. It’s that assurance that we are saved! It’s the Spirit’s witness.

Application

Do you know for sure that you are saved? Have you experienced the Holy Spirit bearing witness with your spirit?

If so, you are a genuine, guaranteed child of God. If not, then perhaps it’s time to fall on your knees before the God of all creation, confessing your sinfulness, and asking Him for salvation, submitting yourself to your Lord and Savior:

Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation.(Romans 10:9, 10)

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Romans 5:5 – Unimaginable Love

Posted on February 2, 2010 by Will

Romans 5:5

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Truth to Learn

God has abundantly shown His love for us.

Behind the Words

The word translated “disappoint” is kataischunō, which is a compound word made up of kata, meaning “down” but often denoting “badness” and a form of aischuno, which means “to cause shame.” Hence the word means “abundant shame, extreme dishonor, or utter disgrace.”

“Poured out” is from the Greek word ekcheō, which is a compound word made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and the verb cheō, meaning “to pour.” Hence, this word means “to pour out.”

The words “was given” are from the verb didōmi, which means “to give of one’s own accord.” It’s not just a passive handing over of something, but an action that is voluntarily initiated through the giver’s own good will.

Meaning Explained

We have been learning from Paul some of the wonderful benefits of salvation by faith: peace, access to God’s grace, patience in trials, assurance of God’s trustworthiness, and confident expectation. He now tells us that this hope (confident expectation) does not make us ashamed. Paul says that because we have this confident expectation, God will surely fulfill His promises to us; we will not be “embarrassingly ashamed” with regard to our faith and our God.

Some day everyone will stand before the Creator of the universe. Those who have rejected Christ, who have not believed the promises of God, and have not humbled themselves before Him to receive his gracious gift of salvation, will stand before the Judge of the Universe. They will be ashamed of what they have done and of what they have believed. Then they will be cast into the lake of fire where they will experience eternal torment! We who have trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, however, will stand before Him and we will receive rewards for all that we have done in His behalf. We will not be ashamed. We will then be ushered into heaven to be eternally in His presence and to experience the wonders He has created for us!

And Paul says the reason that we will not be ashamed is because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts. This is not the love that we have for God, rather it is the love that God has for us. Do you see? God did not simply give us a sip or a taste of his love; He poured it out in abundance directly from His heart to ours. And He has done this through the Holy Spirit whom he has given to us as a guarantee and a seal of our salvation, never to be taken away. Both the Apostle John and the Apostle Paul describe this love God has for us:

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us … (Ephesians 2:4)

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)

Without this unimaginable love we are lost forever.

Application

Let us give our praise to God for the great love with which He loves us even though we are so unlovely!+

In God’s service, for His glory,

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2 Peter 1:21 – Inspired Writing

Posted on May 3, 2009 by admin

2 Peter 1:21

For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Truth to Learn

The Bible is the “inspired” Word of God.

Behind the Words

The word translated “will” is translated from the word thelemati, a form of thelema, which refers to the “determined will” as opposed to “desirous will.”

“Carried along” is from a form of the Greek word pherō, meaning “to carry” or “to bring.”

Meaning Explained

This verse requires careful translation to get the true meaning. A literal translation is, “for prophecy was not at any time carried by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke, being carried by the Holy Spirit.”

In the previous verse Peter said, “… all prophetic scripture does not come into being by personal interpretation,” meaning that the prophets did not proclaim the messages with their own meaning or intent. Remember that we said the word “interpretation” did not apply to the one receiving the message but the one proclaiming the message? In today’s verse Peter explains what he meant by that.

Peter says, in today’s verse, that prophecy was not at any time carried by the will of man. Peter says that prophecy was not proclaimed based on what man determined. Instead, these holy men were carried along by the Holy Spirit. In other words, the prophets did not determine their message and then proclaim it. They were, rather, controlled by the Holy Spirit as they proclaimed their message.

In 2 Timothy 3:16, the Apostle Paul said it this way, “All scripture is inspired by God…” (NASB) or “All scripture is God-breathed…” (NIV). The word here translated “inspired” or “God-breathed” is theopneustos, a compound word made up of theos, which means “God” and a form of pneō which means “to breath” or “to blow.” So whether the prophet is “carried along by the Holy Spirit” or their message was “God-breathed,” the source and the content of the message are from God, while the prophet or author is simply the channel through which the message is conveyed.

The Bible is not just a collection of stories and predictions written by a bunch of different men over the span of several thousand years. It is the writing of men who were controlled by the Holy Spirit of God and it is, therefore, without error (in the original manuscripts) and perfectly accurate in its predictions of future events. And though not all of the prophecies in the Bible have come true (yet), not a single one that has come to pass has been wrong! That’s pretty amazing for a book that has been penned by so many human authors (under divine control) over such a long period of time. Only by the power of God could this be accomplished.

Application

The bottom line is that the Bible is truth. It is God’s truth, and contained within its pages is everything you and I need for salvation, godly living, and peace! Praise God!

We all need to read it more!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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